For the ninth time, the conference invites researchers and entrepreneurs from North Rhine-Westphalia and regions in Europe to find new European research and innovation (R&I) partners for Horizon 2020 projects.

The series of events has been a great success with over 2300 participants since 2009.

There will be an exhibition "Innovations for Europe based in North Rhine-Westphalia" on 15 March 2018.

The networking event will be structured in parallel workshops focussing on seven topics:

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

Nanotechnology, Materials and Manufacturing (NMM)

Energy

Sustainable Economy

Life Sciences

Transport

The event addresses especially universities and research institutes and small as well as medium-sized enterprises. Participants are invited to become involved in established and new technology networks between researchers, entrepreneurs and multipliers related to Horizon 2020. Giving a short presentation (ideas and/or results) or finding a partner by talking to decision-makers opens doors for new research and innovation projects in Europe with a focus on Horizon 2020.

Please note that the event organizer does NOT cover any travel expenses, costs for hotels etc.!

The conference fee includes dinner on 15.03., lunch on 16.03., tea/coffee/cold drinks during the breaks, the "Düsseldorf by Night" tour and the airport-venue shuttle (solely as provided by the organizers).

The Call for presentations (ideas and/or results) is open until 20 February 2018.

Deadline for registration is: 7 March 2018.

Contact persons

Dr. Bernd Janson Telephone: 0049 208 30004-22 Email: bj(at)zenit.de

Heike Hoffzimmer Telephone: 0049 208 30004-35 Email: hz(at)zenit.de

Testimonials

Melanie May

HGC GesundheitsConsult GmbH

The event‘s format is very interesting with lots of pitch presentations and great opportunities to discuss international innovation projects both with potential partners as well as competent consultants.

Prof. Dr. Michael Bongards

I and my team use the platform to find new international contacts or deepen existing ones. It‘s an excellent starting point for technology partnerships and funding proposals, especially for Horizon 2020.

Arriving by train

Düsseldorf Central Station (Hauptbahnhof) is located in the city centre and 9 km from the hotel. Journey time by taxi from the Central Station to the hotel is approx. 15 minutes and costs € 15.00 - € 20.00.

Düsseldorf Airport’s station (Flughafen) is closer to the hotel. Nearly all trains stop at Düsseldorf Airport and it takes between just 5 and 11 minutes. Journey time by taxi from the Airport's station to the hotel is approx. 6 minutes and costs € 5.00 - € 10.00.

If you come by train, please feel free to use our airport shuttle as well. Please alight at the Düsseldorf Flughafen stop (see description above). From there you can take the “skytrain” (You will need a valid ticket! A train ticket counts as a valid ticket!) to the airport terminal where the shuttle service will operate. The skytrain takes only about 5 minutes from the airport railway station to the terminal.

If possible, please submit a draft of your presentation by 28 February 2018 so that we can prepare the workshops. Otherwise you are welcome to bring a final version to the event on a (virus-free!) USB stick. Kindly ensure that last-minute uploads are restricted to the breaks and are ready well before the start of the session. Thank you!

The importance of the “Successful R&I in Europe” conference series for Europe’s research and innovation calendar was substantiated once again in 2017 by the number of participants. Around 300 delegates from 26 countries attended the European Networking Event in Düsseldorf on the 2nd and 3rd of March: 50 % were entrepreneurs and 50 % were representatives of universities or research institutes. The fact that half the participants came from abroad confirms that the event answers a demand for networking platforms at international level.

Delegates had at their disposal an eCar shuttle service between Düsseldorf Airport and the impressive venue of Van der Valk Airporthotel.

The conference, which was organized by ZENIT GmbH on behalf of the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Research of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, was opened by Minister Svenja Schulze, who said: “International events like this are very important for initiating new projects and an exchange of experience”. Keynote speaker was Dr. Ruxandra Draghia-Akli, Deputy Director-General, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission, Brussels, who reported on some successful examples from Horizon 2020 which document long-term and sustainable growth.

The event was structured in thematic workshops and open networking sessions. Researchers previously selected within a call for proposals had the opportunity to present not only new ideas for future projects but also research results ready for commercialization: Some 110 pitches over the two-day event! Delegates profited from the opportunity for an exchange of experience as well as to meet new potential partners and - most importantly - initiate joint EU projects.

Topics were:

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

Energy

Nanotechnology, Materials and Manufacturing (NMM)

Sustainable Economy

Life Sciences

Transport

SME Instrument

In the framework of a parallel exhibition entitled “Innovations for Europe based in NRW”, a number of selected projects and initiatives in the area of Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) and Public Procurement of Innovative Solutions (PPI) were presented.

The event benefited from extensive promotional activities undertaken by the Enterprise Europe Network, the largest business, technology and innovation support network in the world (over 600 organizations in over 60 countries), of which ZENIT is a partner in a consortium with NRW.BANK and NRW.International. Further assistance was provided by the National Contact Points in Germany, the clusters in North Rhine-Westphalia and a large number of organizations in this year’s partner regions of Belgium, Finland, France, Israel, the Netherlands and Poland.